Search form

Ashland University Coburn Gallery to Host The Piano Man Project

6/6/14 ASHLAND, Ohio – The Coburn Gallery at Ashland University will host a regional exhibition titled “The Piano Man Project,” which will feature more than 75 artworks created by artists form Ohio, Illinois and West Virginia.

The Piano Man exhibition opens on Sunday, June 29, with a reception from 2-4 p.m. and the event is free and open to the public. The exhibition will run from June 29 to Aug. 2 in the Coburn Art Gallery.

“The Piano Man Project” was created by the Mansfield artist Ken Arthur from a destroyed baby grand piano and the first “Piano Man” marionette assemblage was created from those salvaged parts.

After making a series of them, Arthur wanted to collaborate with a fellow artist on the project. He gave him two piano men in boxes with instructions that the artist could do anything he wanted to them. One was chosen for Arthur’s collection and the artist would keep the other. The Piano Man Project was born. Arthur usually makes a series of 44 (there are 88 keys on a piano) and uses the parts of three pianos for each series. Presently, there are more than 75 participants with others being added as opportunities present themselves. This exhibition embodies the collaborative spirit of the visual arts.

The gallery, which is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 10 a.m. to noon on Friday and 12 noon to 4 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, is free and open to the public. For more information about the opening reception or the exhibition, call 419.289.5652 or visit us on Facebook.

Ashland University, which has been ranked in the top 200 colleges and universities in U.S. News and World Report’s National Universities category, is a mid-sized, private university conveniently located a short distance from Akron, Cleveland and Columbus, Ohio. Ashland University (www.ashland.edu) values the individual student and offers a unique educational experience that combines the challenge of strong, applied academic programs with a faculty and staff who build nurturing relationships with their students. ###